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Romero makes LSC history with third Track Athlete of the Year honor; Pincock named LSC Indoor Coach of the Year
RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce senior Luis Romero made Lone Star Conference history on Wednesday, as he was named the LSC’s Outstanding Male Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. The LSC Men’s Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year is Lion head coach George Pincock.
Romero – a native of El Paso – earns Outstanding Track Athlete of the Year for the third time in his career. He also received the award in 2014 and 2016. He is the first man in the history of the Lone Star Conference to earn Track Athlete of the Year three times in his career – either indoor or outdoor. This recognition dates back to the initiation of the outdoor award in 1961.
At last weekend’s LSC Championship, Romero won the 800 meters, the mile, and was the anchor leg of the Distance Medley Relay, while also earning the silver medal in the 3,000 meters.
Pincock is in his first season as the Lions’ head coach after rising to the top coaching spot on the staff in December. He led the Lion men to their third straight LSC Indoor Championship, while the Lion women achieved their highest-ever indoor finish in third place.
The LSC also bestowed All-Conference honors. The list of all-conference performers includes the first, second and third place finishers in each event, including all members of the winning relay teams.
NCAA.com is announcing the qualifiers for the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships February 28 by 5:00 p.m. The championships are March 9-11 in Birmingham, Ala.
MEN’S ALL-CONFERENCE PERFORMERS
| First Team | |
| Athlete | Event |
| Luis Romero | 800 meters, Mile, Distance Medley Relay |
| Elliot Martynkiewicz | 5000 meters |
| Llewellyn Woodburn | 1,600m Relay |
| Aaron Lecesne | 1,600m Relay |
| Josiah Dennis | 1,600m Relay |
| Dedrian Windham | 1,600m Relay |
| Matthew Brown | Distance Medley Relay |
| Erick Quiroz | Distance Medley Relay |
| Steven Martinez | Distance Medley Relay |
| Colin Millsap | Pole Vault |
| Chase Graham | Weight Throw |
| Florian Obst | Heptathlon |
| Second Team | |
| Dedrian Windham | 400 meters |
| Luis Romero | 3000 meters |
| Florian Obst | Pole Vault |
| Gage Bowles | Long Jump |
| DeVontae Steele | Triple Jump |
| Kellon Alexis | Weight Throw |
| Third Team | |
| Austin Yaeger | 800 meters |
| Austin Yaeger | Mile |
| Elliot Martynkiewicz | 3000 meters |
| Gage Bowles | Triple Jump |
| Joseph Brown | Shot Put, Weight Throw |
SPECIAL AWARDS
Outstanding Male Track Athlete: Luis Romero, A&M-Commerce
Outstanding Male Field Athlete: Charles Greaves, A&M-Kingsville
Men’s Track & Field Coach of the Year: George Pincock, A&M-Commerce
WOMEN’S ALL-CONFERENCE PERFORMERS
| First Team | |
| Athlete | Event |
| Kamryn McKee | 1,600m Relay |
| Verlencia Shaw | 1,600m Relay |
| Ana Baleveicau | 1,600m Relay |
| Ashley Bassett | 1,600m Relay |
| Second Team | |
| Kamryn McKee | 400 meters |
| Markie Abbott | High Jump |
| Kylie Ferguson | Pole Vault |
| Alexandra VanSickle | Shot Put |
| Third Team | |
| Maggie Waites | Pole Vault |
| Anitial’a Robins | Weight Throw |
SPECIAL AWARDS
Outstanding Female Track Athlete: Melina Gryschka, Eastern New Mexico
Outstanding Female Field Athlete: Rellie Kaputin, West Texas A&M
Women’s Track & Field Coach of the Year: Darren Flowers, West Texas A&M
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Men’s basketball jumps to No. 5 in NCAA regional rankings
COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team is ranked fifth in the official NCAA South Central Regional Rankings. The South Central Region consists of the Lone Star, Heartland, and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conferences. The NCAA released the second issue of the official rankings on Wednesday by the NCAA. The Lions moved up two spots from last week’s rankings after knocking off Tarleton State, the No. 1 ranked team in the region, on Thursday.
A&M-Commerce is one of six teams from the LSC in the regional rankings. Tarleton State is ranked first. UT Permian Basin is ranked third followed by West Texas A&M in fourth. Cameron is ranked ninth and A&M-Kingsville comes in at 10th. The tournament champions of the LSC, HC, and RMAC, as well as five at-large teams, will advance to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament, hosted by the team that finishes the season in the No. 1 spot.
Three of the Lions’ seven losses have come to teams ranked in the top 10 in the region. A&M-Commerce has wins over Tarleton State, WT, Cameron and CSU-Pueblo and two wins over A&M-Kingsville.
The Lions are currently 18-7. They are tied with No. 4 WT for third place in the league with two games remaining on the year. Both teams have a record of 10-6 in the LSC. The Lions will face the Buffs on the road Thursday in a battle for sole possession of third place in the LSC. The Lions then finish the regular season on the road against No. 3 UTPB before heading to Allen for the LSC postseason tournament next week.
NCAA DII South Central Region Rankings
as of February 22, 2017
| Pl. | School | DII Record | In-Region |
| 1. | Tarleton State | 20-4 | 16-4 |
| 2. | Colorado Mines | 21-3 | 21-3 |
| 3. | UT-Permian Basin | 16-5 | 16-5 |
| 4. | West Texas A&M | 21-7 | 17-7 |
| 5. | A&M-COMMERCE | 16-7 | 15-7 |
| 6. | Fort Lewis | 18-4 | 18-4 |
| 7. | Colorado State-Pueblo | 18-7 | 18-7 |
| 8. | Regis | 16-8 | 14-8 |
| 9. | Cameron | 15-10 | 15-10 |
| 10. | A&M-Kingsville | 15-10 | 15-10 |
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Women’s basketball holds at No. 6 in NCAA Regional Rankings
COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team is ranked sixth in the NCAA South Central Regional Rankings. The South Central Region consists of the Lone Star, Heartland, and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conferences. The NCAA released the rankings on Wednesday. This announcement is the second release of the official NCAA rankings this season and no teams moved up or down in the rankings.
A&M-Commerce is one of four teams from the LSC in the rankings. Eastern New Mexico is ranked second followed by Angelo State in third and West Texas A&M in fourth place. Colorado State-Pueblo is ranked in the top spot. The tournament champions of the LSC, HC, and RMAC, as well as five at-large teams, will advance to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament, hosted by the team that finishes the season in the No. 1 spot.
Three of the Lions’ seven losses have come to teams ranked in the top three. However, the Lions have also defeated each of the other ranked LSC teams.
The Lions are currently 19-7, getting a win over Texas Woman’s University on Thursday. This is the second highest win total for a Lion team in program history. With 13 conference wins, the Lions also have their highest conference win total in program history. A&M-Commerce is tied for third place in the conference with two games remaining in the regular season.
The Lions finish the regular season with two games on the road. The Lions will face No. 4 West Texas A&M on Thursday, the team tied with them in the LSC standings. The Lions defeated WT in January. A&M-Commerce will then finish the regular season against UT-Permian Basin on Saturday before heading to Allen for the LSC postseason tournament next week.
NCAA DII South Central Region Rankings
as of February 22, 2017
| Pl. | School | DII Record | In-Region |
| 1. | Colorado State-Pueblo | 23-1 | 23-1 |
| 2. | Eastern New Mexico | 19-4 | 19-4 |
| 3. | Angelo State | 19-4 | 16-4 |
| 4. | West Texas A&M | 19-7 | 16-5 |
| 5. | St. Mary’s | 19-5 | 17-5 |
| 6. | A&M-COMMERCE | 17-7 | 17-7 |
| 7. | Regis | 18-6 | 17-6 |
| 8. | Colorado-Colorado Springs | 18-6 | 18-6 |
| 9. | Fort Lewis | 18-6 | 18-6 |
| 10. | Colorado Mesa | 17-6 | 17-6 |